Senate Bill 1 passed Wednesday in the Ohio Senate by a vote of 21-11, with all nine Democrats and two Republicans voting against the bill. The 75-page bill was introduced less than a month ago by Sen. Jerry Cirino and includes a lengthy overhaul of higher education in Ohio.
According to AP News, the bill was objected to by over 1,000 students and faculty members because of its plans to ban DEI in colleges and universities and put limits on faculty bargaining powers. It also puts certain tenure protections and faculty workload policies at risk, leading many to be concerned for the future of higher education.
John O’Keefe, the communications director for the United Academics of Ohio University, said he and other people involved in academia believe SB 1 is an attack on academic freedoms and the rights of faculty at universities in Ohio.
“I think we will definitely see a lot of pushback as it continues,” O’Keefe said. “This is a very unpopular bill, and we’ve seen very strong faculty and student opposition.”
One of the provisions the bill has is a ban on full-time faculty members striking. Many university employees are worried this would limit the amount of bargaining power they have and take away the rights faculty unions such as the UAOU are fighting for.
O’Keefe said he is concerned that the bill could drive potential and current faculty away from Ohio.
“We want to make sure that our institutions maintain their national reputation,” O’Keefe said. “These provisions will make it more difficult to recruit top faculty to Ohio.”
UAOU is currently holding an election to decide whether unionization will occur. The voting ballots were sent out to faculty members Wednesday, and O’Keefe is optimistic they will receive a majority of “yes” votes required to unionize.
“We’re feeling very confident in our election,” O’Keefe said. “We have a super majority of support that was calling for the election, and we kept in touch with faculty on all campuses and had a lot of one-on-one conversations.”
Rachel Terman, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology, said she does not believe SB1 can affect the efforts already in place by the UAOU.
Terman said UAOU can still maintain a strong presence on campus even with these new provisions by the government.
Terman said if this bill is passed and university faculty lose their right to strike, it will not diminish the other work the UAOU are doing.
“It would take away that specific strategy for labor to have power at OU,” Terman said. “But it doesn’t take away a lot of other strategies unions have and a lot of other ways of having a seat at the table.”
Terman said union members have other ways to bargain and guarantee their rights such as contract negotiation, and striking is an extreme measure she hopes they never have to resort to.
She also said if the faculty can unionize, they will be able to work with the university administration closely to handle issues so they do not have to take drastic measures.
“I’m hopeful that the union will help us work with the administration in a way that we would never have to get to that point,” Terman said.
University spokesperson Dan Pittman was contacted for a comment, but since the legislation still has to go through the House and governor’s office, the university cannot make an official statement at this time.
“We don’t typically offer comment on pending legislation,” Pittman wrote in an email. “We will continue to monitor this proposed bill as it evolves and progresses through the state’s established legislative process.”
Terman noted most faculty members at universities do not want to put all their time and energy into fighting administration or bargaining for certain rights but simply want to feel secure in the job they have.
“Most people who are doing these jobs do it because they are really passionate about it,” Terman said. “SB1 is a hugely problematic bill that I think will have all kinds of terrible repercussions for higher education.”
O’Keefe encouraged anyone concerned about the effect of this bill on universities to contact the governor’s office or their Ohio House representative in opposition to the bill.
“I know faculty at OU have submitted witness statements, so (there has been) hours and hours of testimony against this bill,” O’Keefe said.
